With Valentine’s Day coming up, you might not want to blow all your cash at a fancy restaurant. Why not host a romantic dinner at home with your significant other? You still want the night to be special so here are some interior design tips to create the right atmosphere.

Focus on the dining room. First your table – is there a smaller, more romantic table hidden somewhere in the house? Move your large, formal dining table out of the way and rearrange the room with this smaller table to create the desired intimate feel of an upscale restaurant in Paris.

If rearranging furniture isn’t practical – set the dining table for two at one corner. This will ensure there are no obstacles blocking each other's eyes. Or try using a different, but equally as romantic, room in the house and eat there. For example, in front of the fireplace in a family room.

Use your best china to set the table. Yes, all those pieces you save for an important day and never use… here is your chance.  Use elegant glasses, soft table spreads, placemats and cloth napkins, if you have them.  If you have choices of colors, stay within the theme with reds, pinks, and white as well as golds and silvers.  Don’t go overboard with red or pink – use them to accent your setup… not overwhelm.

Now for the details: the key ingredients for your Valentine’s Day home makeover are fresh flowers, candles, and music.  

Because it’s wintertime, you probably don’t have many of your own flowers to choose from and because flowers can be very expensive this time of year - make sure to keep your overall budget in mind when visiting the florist.

Either stick with one or two types of flowers or choose as many different bouquets as you can and place them everywhere in your dining room and throughout your home.  Want to try something different?  Carefully pluck full pedels off a flower and place them in a large open container filled with water.  This will create a modern feel.

What types of flowers should you use? You cannot go wrong this holiday with the always classy red roses. Roses are a wonderful way to surprise to your valentine on Friday while they are still at work. Roses look great in a tall, slender vase at one end of your dining room table or at one corner of your small table.  However, roses are expensive (especially at this time of the year!)  Looking for other, less expensive types, for a small budget.  I suggest tulips, daisies, lilacs, irises, or orchids.

Now for the light – nothing signals romance stronger than candle light! To change your space, the lighting must feel different. Place candles in bunches (3-5 large candles grouped together) around your dining room and on your table to create simultaneously strong, yet soft lighting. You can find chunky pillar candles at dollar stores so you won’t break your budget plus they tend to melt on the inside so you don’t have to worry about dripping wax.

Use the mirrors hanging around your house and reposition them in your dining room in order to capture and reflect the candle light to create a more dynamic atmosphere.

Make sure the candles closest to the dinner plates are unscented – you don’t want to confuse your taste buds!

Finally, don’t forget about the music. Choose something light and easy. Maybe a favorite artist of your significant other that can play in the background. If you notice the music while you’re talking it’s either too hard or too loud. This might not be the appropriate time to throw Black Sabbath’s greatest hits into the CD player.

Want something to splurge on for a dramatic change? I recommend curtains – ones that hit the floor! (even if your windows are short.)  Not only will this change the room’s flow, add some color & flair, but also it will cancel out any external light & noise – giving you greater control over your newly transformed room.

Of course if you already have a nice supply of red or pink pillows, throws, and the like, feel free to use them – tastefully.

Take a step back and look around. Be sure to take Coco Chanel’s rule to heart and remove one of your accessories.  Now go find a babysitter so you can enjoy your hard work without any interruptions.

I’m leaving dinner up to you but here’s is a great how-to video for an easy & yummy dessert!